# Development Workflow > workflow patterns for planning, subagents, self-improvement, and verification Use when this capability is needed. - Skill: `tomevault-io/development-workflow` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 2 files) - Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add tomevault-io/development-workflow` - Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/tomevault-io/development-workflow/raw - Safety review: pending (external: skill-scanner PASS, skillspector PASS) - Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex - Category: Productivity - Author: tomevault-io (https://skillmd.com/u/tomevault-io) - Updated: 2026-09-17 - Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/tomevault-io/development-workflow --- ### 1. Plan Mode Default - Enter plan mode for ANY non-trivial task (3+ steps or architectural decisions) - If something goes sideways, STOP and re-plan immediately - don't keep pushing - Use plan mode for verification steps, not just building - Write detailed specs upfront to reduce ambiguity ### 2. Subagent Strategy - Use subagents liberally to keep main context window clean - Offload research, exploration, and parallel analysis to subagents - For complex problems, throw more compute at it via subagents - One task per subagent for focused execution ### 3. Self-Improvement Loop - After ANY correction from the user: update lessons with the pattern - Write rules for yourself that prevent the same mistake - Ruthlessly iterate on these lessons until mistake rate drops - Review lessons at session start for relevant project ### 4. Verification Before Done - Never mark a task complete without proving it works - Diff behavior between main and your changes when relevant - Ask yourself: "Would a staff engineer approve this?" - Run tests, check logs, demonstrate correctness ### 5. Demand Elegance (Balanced) - For non-trivial changes: pause and ask "is there a more elegant way?" - If a fix feels hacky: "Knowing everything I know now, implement the elegant solution" - Skip this for simple, obvious fixes - don't over-engineer - Challenge your own work before presenting it ### 6. Autonomous Bug Fixing - When given a bug report: just fix it. Don't ask for hand-holding - Point at logs, errors, failing tests - then resolve them - Zero context switching required from the user - Go fix failing CI tests without being told how ## Core Principles - **Simplicity First**: Make every change as simple as possible. Impact minimal code. - **No Laziness**: Find root causes. No temporary fixes. Senior developer standards. - **Minimal Impact**: Changes should only touch what's necessary. Avoid introducing bugs. --- > Converted and distributed by [TomeVault](https://tomevault.io/claim/rcarmo) — claim your Tome and manage your conversions.